Emergency Readiness

Emergency readiness is a pre-arranged system to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from emergencies caused by natural disasters and human-caused events such as violent incidents or accidents that affect others. The following information is to assist you in developing a readiness plan and for educating your staff and parents.

Resources*

21st CCLC Basic Emergency Plan Template
All 21st Century Community Learning Centers are required to develop a formal, written emergency readiness plan that is specific and applicable to the afterschool program needs. This template will guide centers through various emergency scenarios and provide direction on the needed information for each. Customize the content as needed and be sure to keep the plan updated.

Emergency Guidelines for Schools – Pennsylvania Edition (PDF)
These guidelines will assist staff in helping ill or injured students. Topics range from helping students who have experienced burns and cuts to more extreme traumas such as seizures and shock. Each section covers generally accepted courses of action until a healthcare or emergency medical services provider arrives.

Online Training

Critical Incident Planning and Preparation for Afterschool Programs

This online training will identify critical incident situations and the stages of a critical incident. Participants will explore situational awareness and viewers will leave with a better understanding of command systems and necessary steps for thorough emergency planning.

Evacuation Decision Making for Afterschool Programs

This online training will identify viable protective actions and help viewers learn how to plan appropriately for evacuations. Participants will view steps for emergency decision making as well as circumstances when individual decision making is necessary and preferable over group decision making.

Multi-Hazard Planning for Childcare

This EMI online course covers the steps to help childcare providers prepare for incidents to ensure the safety of the children at their site. This course is designed for childcare providers of all sizes and for all age children, including, but not limited to, home childcare sites, childcare facilities, nursery schools, camps, scouts, sports programs, faith-based programs and afterschool programs.

Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Through its courses and integrated programs, EMI serves as the national focal point for the development and delivery of emergency management training to minimize the impact of disasters and emergencies on the American public. This course will help you create, update or revise an Emergency Operations Plan for your community or organization in order to address effectively the unique needs of children in disasters.

Preparing Parents for School Emergencies

This online training video (runtime 20:51) provides parents of children in K-12 schools with an understanding of why schools develop all-hazards plans. Parents will receive information on ways they assist their families and the school in preparation for school emergencies. This session covers actions parents should resist taking in the event of an emergency at their child’s school.

School Shooters: An Awareness Program for School Staff

This online training video (runtime 47:53) provides school staff members with a basic awareness of their responsibilities in preparing for and responding to an active shooter situation in their school. This session covers standard procedures for effective school staff interface and interaction with law enforcement during active shooter situations.

* Disclaimer: The resources provided deal with arts-related programming in general and certain practices may not be applicable to 21st Century Community Learning Centers. If you are unsure if a recommended practice is permissible, please contact your program officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.